I've had over a week to think about the Twin Lakes Triathlon. A good first outdoor race to build from. Was pleased about the way I managed the race and the overall outcome, but there are a number of things I need to work on before the next triathlon:
Swim
1) Learn to navigate better in open water - need to practice heads up swim form for use once every 5-10 strokes. Didn't look up as frequently and ended up zig zagging alot.
2) Get tinted goggles - swimming into the sun with no visible onshore reference point on the return leg wreaked havoc with sighting.
3) Find a way to draft during the swim. Was fastest swimmer in wave 3 - no such opportunity there - hoping I can get assigned to wave 1 or 2 next time.
4) More bidirectional breathing in the second half of the swim.
5) Reduce kick "cone" area by keeping feet closer together. Point toes inward and plantar flex ankles more to further reduce drag. Do more kick drills both with and without fins to reinforce good form.
5) Continue working on other aspects of basic swimming form - left hand still has tendency to wander across centerline at initial catch - also left hand catch and initial part of pull while breathing to the right needs to be more productive.
6) Strengthening work - seek additional ways to strengthen left upper body - lats, pecs, triceps - to match right side power. Also work on strengthening hip flexors to improve kick support and effectiveness.
7) Place swim cap over goggle straps to reduce drag plus chance of goggles getting knocked off head by a competitor's stray hand or foot.
8) Could wearing two swim caps help further reduce drag - need to investigate.
Bike
1) Consider investing in a one hour professional bike fitting session with the aim of finding the best posture for sprint triathlons. I felt comfortable throughout that phase but perhaps there is a more efficient setup that will distribute some workload away from the quadriceps to other muscle groups. Optimal stem length/angle is another aspect worth addressing here.
2) Practice increasing bike spin cadence at easier gears to take more stress off the quads. I suspect my gear selection was too aggressive for much of the 14 miles, particularly on stretches where there were moderate inclines.
3) Need to supplement bike tempo training with sprint intervals and hill work.
4) Find more drafting opportunities - this race was bike draft legal - drafted only for about one minute out of 39 - again a faster wave assignment may help.
5) Practice taking turns at slightly higher rate of speed - this course was highly technical with over 60 turns - this being my first tri and being somewhat unfamiliar with course stuck to a more conservative plan.
6) Overpronation needs to be corrected - consider using orthotics in bike shoes.
7) Fashion emergency during bike phase ? Tri top was too loose fitting for me and not aero efficient. Need to downsize top and/or consider a tri top or suit made with more aerodynamic materials (eg. Nike swift suit).
8) Other equipment related upsides include using a handlebar mounted water bottle or eliminating second of two water bottles, and looking at pros/cons of affixing a cover to rear wheel.
Run
1) Brick workouts - that is, combined bike and run practices. Quads need to get used to the idea that there's going to be a run after the bike phase and need to fire when called upon. Did only one such workout before the tri. Do indoor (bike studio/treadmill) bricks when weather doesn't permit.
2) Continue working on increasing/maintaining cadence at 180 per minute. Shorten stride - lean forward from ankles/more dorsiflexion to reduce ground contact time.
3) Pacing is a work in progress - need to avoid going out too fast - perhaps invest in a GPS watch.
4) Look for some good compression tri shorts - that may help with the quads a bit.
5) Pre-race and in-race nutrition - a single Gu packet in the middle of the bike leg likely didn't provide sufficient energy to keep me going in the final half hour of the race. Felt like I was out of gas for most of the run.
6) Hydration - bladder felt uncomfortable during entire run. Took on too much liquid pre-race and perhaps during the bike.
7) Strengthening related - more core and hip flexor work - also adductor stretch/strengthening to help correct overpronation and "duck foot" gait.
8) Consider orthotics for running shoes to help manage overpronation - especially if posterior shin splint issue persists.
Transition/Other
1) Swim to bike - T1 went well but need to remove cap/goggles and get wetsuit stripped down to waist on the fly before arriving at my transition point. More practice with pre-mounting shoes on bike pedals and strapping them on after I get going on the bike.
2) Bike to run - big upside here - up to a minute of potential time savings in T2. Practice exiting bike shoes before dismounting bike, practice mounting underside of bike seat to rope, next time have bucket of water available to rinse sand/mud off feet, get comfortable in training with running without socks.
3) Take it easier during taper week. Can't be taking off on a 14 mile bike ride to scout the course the day before the race, no matter how easy most of that ride was. Quads were a little sore after that ride and needed to ice them down.
